8th Grade

8th GRADE GRADVENTURE FIELD TRIP - UNIVERSAL STUDIOS & ISLANDS OF ADVENTURE

Download the Gradventure Form 

Gradventure is a special culminating field trip for our 8th grade students. Our middle school graduates can celebrate with their friends as they enjoy complete, private access to Universal Studios Florida and Universal’s Islands of Adventure all night long. When your student attends the only two-park middle school graduation celebration, they will enjoy live DJ’s, street entertainment, and the most exciting rides and attractions. At Dunedin Highland Middle School, we want you to feel at ease, so we have included important information in this packet that explains all expectations and deadlines.

FIELD TRIP DATE: Friday, May 8, 2026 (departure from DHMS @ Noon; approximate return to DHMS 2:00 AM)

COST: $210.00 (one full payment or three installment payments of $100, $55, $55; cash/check/money order). Money orders and checks made out to Dunedin Highland Middle School. The cost includes park admission, transportation, one meal voucher, and a Gradventure t-shirt that students are required to wear during the field trip. Universal Studios Annual Passes are not accepted with this special event.

CAPACITY: The first 150 8th grade students to reserve a spot will attend the trip, pending they adhere to the behavioral and academic criteria to keep their spot reservation during the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grading periods.

RESERVATIONS: Reservations will start on Tuesday, November 18th at 9:20 AM in Highlander Hall. To reserve a spot for the Gradventure field trip, students should:

• pay at least the first installment of $100 (cash/check/money order),
• submit a completed/signed Student & Parent Acknowledgement Form, and
• submit a completed/signed Gradventure Field Trip Permission Slip.
• All sales are final; partial refunds can be requested only if another student purchases your student’s reserved spot. If students are paying in installments, the following payments should be made:
  • 1st Installment of $100 non-refundable deposit– starting Tuesday, November 18th @ 9:20AM in Highlander Hall
  • 2nd Installment of $55– by Friday, December 19th
  • 3rd Installment of $55 – by Friday, January 30th

BEHAVIORAL AND ACADEMIC CRITERIA The following criteria was determined by administration and faculty to ensure that students represent our school with respect, excellence, and pride prior to the field trip. Once your student reserves a spot for Gradventure, they must adhere to the following behavioral and academic criteria to attend Gradventure. These expectations take effect beginning November 7, 2025 to May 8, 2026:

• Reservations are on a first come, first served basis (first 150 students with money and signed forms).
• Students may not have administrative referrals starting Friday, November 7th.
• Students must maintain a C or better throughout the year in all core classes (Math, Science, Social Studies and Language Arts)
• Students may not have more than 10 unexcused tardies each grading period starting Friday, November 7th.

If a student is disqualified from the Gradventure field trip for failure to adhere to the behavioral and academic criteria listed above, partial refunds may be requested only if another student purchases your student’s reserved spot.

EXPECTATIONS DURING GRADVENTURE FIELD TRIP

• Students must attend school on Friday, May 8, 2026 as a normal school day in order to participate in the trip.
• During the field trip, students must follow the dress code guidelines presented by Universal Studios.*
• During the field trip, students must meet regularly with their assigned DHMS faculty chaperone at designated times/locations.
• Students must move around the parks in groups of two or more. Students are not allowed to travel alone.
• Parents are expected to pick up students at the DHMS parking lot upon our return at approximately 2:00 AM.
• Students will be alerted on the buses to contact a parent when we are in the vicinity of downtown Tampa, givingparents time to commute to the DHMS campus without delay.

UNIVERSAL STUDIO’S GRADVENTURE DRESS CODE It is required that all DHMS students wear the Gradventure T-Shirt ordered as part of the field trip. The following dress code will be enforced by Universal Studios* and DHMS faculty the day of the field trip. Students will not be permitted to depart for the field trip if dress code is not followed; chaperones will conduct multiple dress code checks.

OKAY

• Dresses, skirts, capris, shorts
• Casual pants (including jeans and khakis)
• Gradventure T-Shirt issued by DHMS
• Comfortable shoes (including tennis shoes, dress sandals, boots)
• Hats and sunglasses
• Drawstring backpacks, fanny packs, purses under 8.5” x 11”

NOT OKAY

• Clothing with holes or shredding                     
• Clothing with offensive language or graphics                            
• Tank tops, undershirts, short shorts and visible undergarments
• Clothing that exposes excessive portions of the skin that may be viewed as inappropriate at a school function
• Accessories such as chains, spiked collars, studded/spiked belts, bandanas, selfie sticks, and large backpacks

*Universal reserves the right to refuse entry into the event or require the purchase of appropriate clothing for non-compliance with the dress code.

IN CASE OF EMERGENCIES

Universal has the phone numbers of three chaperones to contact. At that point, one of the chaperones will be contacting the parent to advise you of the situation. At any point during the night, your student can go to any of our chaperones or Universal staff for any issue, which we will promptly address. Please keep in mind, your student will have tons of fun, so they might not answer their phone right away! We can assure you that if something should happen, we will be in contact with you right away.

QUESTIONS?

If you have any questions or concerns about the trip, please contact Ms. Bernal at Bernalj@pcsb.org